This document relates to electricity generation and fuel cells.
Inorganic pollutants in wastewater include nitrogen in various forms, such as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The overload of nitrogen compounds with other nutrients discharged from wastewater, fertilizers, and other human activities, can cause eutrophication, deteriorating water quality and the aquatic ecosystem. Nitrogen-related pollutants in wastewater can be converted into dinitrogen gas through energy-consuming nitrification/denitrification and anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) processes.
The oxidation of ammonium can be classified as incomplete or complete oxidation, based on the final product of the oxidation. Incomplete oxidation, with a final product other than dinitrogen gas, is the first step of nitrification through the following reaction:NH4++1.5O2→NO2−+H2O+2H+.The complete oxidation process, with a final product of dinitrogen gas, is the anammox process, shown by the following reaction:NH4++NO2−→N2+2H2O.